1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of structuring acquired multi-view images and three-dimensional (3D) information extracted using the acquired multi-view images in a single data format, to generate a realistic panoramic image that provides a realistic effect, such as a stereoscopic panoramic image or a free-view panoramic image, in addition to a simple panoramic image, by using images captured using a plurality of cameras, and relates to a method for freely generating various realistic panoramic images using the single data format.
2. Description of the Related Art
Panoramic images may be generated by capturing images using a plurality of cameras or a special optical lens and mirror and by synthesizing the images. Panoramic images have an advantage of providing a much wider viewing angle, compared to general image media.
However, due to a restriction on a capturing scheme, that is, a difficult capturing scheme, such as zooming in/out, focusing on a specific object and the like, generated panoramic images may easily become monotonous.
Currently, various realistic high-quality media, such as three-dimensional (3D) media, ultra high definition (UHD) media and the like, have appeared. In this situation, due to the above disadvantage of panoramic images, it may be difficult to provide users with great satisfaction by merely providing a wide viewing angle. Accordingly, in a panoramic image field, various panorama realistic technologies have been developed for years, for example a stereoscopic panorama technology, or a free-view panorama technology that provides a realistic effect by generating an image based on a change in a user's view through image modeling.
However, in a stereoscopic panorama image, a parallax error between images may occur due to a scheme of stitching each of a left image and a right image, similarly to a typical panoramic image. Accordingly, it is difficult to generate a perfect stereoscopic panoramic image.
Additionally, it is still difficult to apply, to actual services, a free-view panorama technology that is based on an image or that uses image modeling, due to complexity of the free-view panorama technology.
Actually, the above-described stereoscopic panorama technology and free-view panorama technology seem to be different from each other. However, in both the stereoscopic panorama technology and free-view panorama technology, depth values, texture information, image segmentation information of images and the like are required to be used for perfect realistic representation. However, since the above image information is currently extracted and modified suitable for a specific application, the image information may be restrictively used, and may be incompatible with each other.
For example, when pieces of image information acquired through multi-view images are structured, managed and combined, both a free-view panorama and a stereoscopic panorama may be freely implemented using a single data format. Additionally, a stereoscopic free-view panorama may also be enabled through combination of the free-view panorama and the stereoscopic panorama.